Smoke from passenger’s tablet device forces plane to divert

Some laptops banned from flights amid fears they will catch fire

An Etihad plane was forced to divert when a passenger's tablet started to smoke (Getty Images)

A plane was forced to divert when a tablet started to smoke on board.

Etihad Airways flight EY131 was flying from its home base of Abu Dhabi to Washington DC when a passenger’s device started smoking.

The flight was diverted to Dublin.

An Etihad spokesperson told The Independent: “The situation was managed swiftly by the crew and the aircraft landed safely in Dublin, where the device will be removed before the flight continues to its destination.

“The safety and comfort of its guests and crew is Etihad’s top priority and we regret any discomfort or inconvenience caused by this necessary diversion.”

The flight landed in Dublin before 5pm, before taking off around three hours later. It landed in Washington DC around four hours late, according to FlightRadar24.

In August, some MacBooks were banned from flights amid fears they could catch fire.

The computers can overheat and endanger people on planes, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Airlines have already been alerted to the problem and the affected laptops will not be allowed on flights.

Virgin Australia has also banned all MacBooks from check-in luggage as they are deemed a fire hazard.